Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 449 Bewitching
"You're not thinking of pretending to be a couple to spite her, are you?"

Behind the library counter, Jun Matsueda looked at the smiling girl.

He's not that easy to fool.

“That’s a bit too fast and too extreme,” Tomatsu Yuka shook her head, but she didn’t deny it. “Even excitement should be approached gradually.”

The boy took a sip of water, waiting for the girl to continue.

“Matsue was too proactive with her senior. You put in so much effort and turned her into a child raised in a honey pot—she will think that the sweetness in front of her is as natural as air, but it isn’t.”

"Like now, even though you've broken up, your senior knows you still like her, which gives her a great sense of security."

Tomatsu Yuka leaned slightly closer to the boy and spoke softly.

“Even though he broke up with Songzhi, he will still care about me and pay attention to me. That’s what she thinks now.”

"It's a misconception that Yami-senpai thinks she has the initiative."

"It's your senior who needs you, not the other way around—if she really wanted you to let go, why didn't she tell me?"

"My senior hasn't told me about your breakup yet."

She couldn't bear to part with you; the girl's words were soft yet surprisingly persuasive.

“I understand that your senior doesn’t want to hold you back, but she can’t bear to lose you, so she just can’t bring herself to do it—she thinks this situation can continue, and maybe you can continue to be good friends and keep each other company.”

"So you need to let her know you're sad, let her know that a real breakup isn't like this."

By ignoring her, Jun Matsue understood the girl's meaning.

“That might even have the opposite effect.” He lowered his head slightly, avoiding the faint fragrance surrounding the girl.

"My senior already wanted to break up with me. If she finally puts up with my coldness, then there's really no way to turn things around."

Tomatsu Tomohana tilted her head, her eyes clear. "Does Matsue-san have any other ideas?"

"Are you going to kneel down and beg your senior to continue dating you?"

What's the point of that kind of relationship?

Matsueda Jun fell silent, and a small joy welled up in the girl's heart—as long as Matsueda-kun didn't refute her, it meant that he had begun to accept it.

So Tomatsu Tomohana wisely stopped while she was ahead and didn't continue the topic. She tidied up the returned books and gave the boy space to think for himself.

Once the two were completely free, the girl took off her headphones and stretched.

"When will you upload 'Moment' to the music app? I really like this song, but I can only listen to your performance videos."

The boy shook his head. "You'll have to ask Quan and the others. I've already left the band."

Seemingly because he had some free time, he said a few more words, "This final version of 'Moment' was only rehearsed a few days before the performance, and we don't even have a recording studio version ourselves."

"Then wasn't last Sunday's performance the swan song?" The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

“I suppose so.” Jun Matsueda smiled. “It’s such a shame,” Yuka Tomatsu sighed regretfully. “So many people are asking for a studio recording version under the performance video.”

"Is that so?" Jun Matsueda turned another page of the workbook in front of him.

In fact, he hadn't watched the recording of the performance at all—the memory was already firmly ingrained in his mind, and he didn't want to recall that night again.

"The video has already surpassed 200,000 views!" The girl tapped her finger on the phone screen. "It's even trending in its category!"

"Hopefully it will go down soon."

For the past few days, people from other classes have been coming to watch him because of the band's performance, and he's getting a little annoyed even with their fake smiles.

Jun Matsuo put down his pen and looked at the vast sky outside the glass wall. The sun was setting earlier and earlier; before five o'clock, the city's colors were already beginning to dim.

Cycling home from get off work, gazing at the half-sky tinged red in his peripheral vision, Jun Matsueda suddenly thought—

Perhaps it wasn't the onlookers who were annoying, but rather that he was no longer comfortable with the life he used to lead while wearing a mask.

After returning to his apartment, Jun Matsueda placed the bag he was carrying on the dining table. It was his dinner for the day—a half-price bento from a convenience store.

Since Kurusu Yosei left, cooking for one has become troublesome, and coupled with his naturally bad mood these past few days, he hasn't cooked for quite some time.

Standing on the balcony, enjoying the afterglow of the setting sun, Jun Matsue finished eating the char siu and half-cooked egg cold noodles in a plastic box. He then returned to the living room, turned on the TV, and saw a familiar face on the program that started on time.

Yosuke Lai had returned once in the past few days. The girl was in a hurry and hadn't even changed out of her performance costume. Her manager was standing downstairs, nervously looking left and right, wary of any entertainment reporters who might appear.

At that time, Jun Matsueda had just returned from school. He was sitting in the living room, watching in surprise as the girl stormed into her room, grabbing her pillow and blanket.

"I'm not used to sleeping in the new apartment. I think it might be the bed," she explained earnestly as she left the bedroom.

"Won't you sit down for a bit? I can help you take it down." The boy got up from the sofa.

"No way!" The girl shook her head decisively. "I came straight here after the performance. It would be troublesome if you went down and were seen by reporters or fans who were following you."

"Remember to help me record the show!" she said, then hurriedly left with her blanket.

Even after leaving the apartment, Yosuke Kurusu didn't lose contact with the boy. She sent him a few photos, usually selfies backstage at performances or pictures of lunch she ate in the car. She no longer typed messages, mostly sending voice messages; the girl's life was dazzlingly busy.

The sky outside the balcony had completely darkened. Jun Matsue looked at the smiling girl on the TV screen. The girl who had taken a quilt from his house a few days ago was now facing the live camera, sitting in front of the host of a prime-time entertainment program.

Yosuke Kurusu, who only wanted to focus on the stage, once again accepted an invitation to this comedy variety show.

He knew what the girl was thinking. "These kinds of shows are actually more likely to make people go viral," she said herself.

Although Kurusu didn't say it, given her almost arrogant confidence, she must be thinking that she would excitedly describe the scene to him while watching her own show.
A recording start notification flashed on the screen. Jun Matsueda leaned back on the sofa, watching the colorful lights from the television projected onto the dark ceiling.

He recalled what Tomatsu Yuka had said at the literature museum that afternoon; the girl's allure was almost obvious, yet he couldn't resist.

After all, everyone is changing, so why shouldn't the senior student change as well?

(End of this chapter)